Commercial devices and systems for monitoring glucose levels in a patient are currently available. For example, FreeStyle Navigator® Continuous Glucose Monitoring System available from Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., provides diabetes management tools for monitoring glucose levels of a patient over an extended time period using a subcutaneous analyte sensor, for example, in contact with interstitial fluid of the patient. Such devices and systems provide real time glucose information to the patient to assist in improving glycemic control. Also available are infusion devices such as external insulin pumps which are programmable to deliver insulin based on a programmed delivery profile to diabetic patients, for example. Typically, such pumps are programmed to deliver a predetermined basal delivery profile, and periodically administer user specified bolus dosage or temporary basal delivery.
In recent years, developments have been on going in closed loop therapy systems which automate the control of the insulin delivery based on real time feedback of the patient's glucose levels. There are known closed loop control algorithms that are intended to model artificial pancreas to provide a fully automated and integrated system of glucose monitoring and insulin delivery.
With the development of different algorithms for closed loop control as well as glucose monitoring systems and infusion devices, integration of such components to provide compatibility has become a challenge.